thomasson



H. W. THOMASSUN.

SEEDING MACHINE.

AWM/moe FILED APR.11.1919.

Patented Sept. 1919.

` HUGHlW. TrioMAssoN, or sT. Louis,` MISSOURI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

SEEDING-MACHINE `Application mea pnl 17, 1919. serarivaeeavoa Toallwhom t may concern." t

`Be it known thatI, HUGH W. *T'HoMAssom a citizen of the United States of" America,

aA resident ofthe city of St. Louis, "in the State of Missouri, have invented certainnew` and useful Improvements in S`eeding-Ma-- chines, of which the following is a full, clear,

and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification. t a a My invention relates to a seedingmachine so `constructed as to `permit the sowing of either small or large seeds, and in theuse of which the seeds may be scattered uniformly to the ground traversed by the seeding machine, the presentmachinehaving structural features therein by whichprovision is made for the dischargeof small seeds through cer-` tain paths andthe `discharge of larger seeds through other paths in the seed feeding and distributing members of the machine.

Figure I' is a rear elevation of my seeding machine, the central portion being broken out.

Fig. II is an enlarged vertical section taken on line II-II, Fig. I, with the wiper plate shownin the positionassumed when planting large seeds. t t ,t t A Fig. III is a view similar to Fig. II, with the small seed regulatingdevice shown in operative position. t i

Fig. IV is a perspective view of al fragment of the small seedregulating device.

In the drawings, 1 designates a seed hopper or holder designed to be supported by ground wheels `in the manner usual inordi-` nary seeding machines. Beneath the discharge throat 2 of said hopper is a: runway plate 3 terminating at its bottom in a` curved member 4 adapted to "contact with afrotatable feeding cylinder to be hereinafter described. The runway plate g3 is provided at its side traversed by seeds delivered from the hopper 1 with protuberances `or baiies 5 spaced from each other, thereby leaving spaces between said baffles through which seeds may pass, as will be hereinafter explained. Said baffles preferably have curved upper faces as seen in Fig. I.

A designates a seed feeding cylinder rest-. ing in contact with the curved member 4 of the runway plate 3 and supported in any suitable manner, as, for example, by jour-A naling the spindles `of the cylinder in bearings? 7 carried byend plates 8 secured to the hopper 1. Thecylinder A may be rotated in i any `suitable manner, for instance, by

sprocket chains fittedto sprocket wheels 91 carried by the cylinder which are adapted to receive sprocket chains driven from the ground wheels of `the seeding machine. The cylinder A is located in immediate proximity to-tl'ie lower end of the runway plate 3, and it is provided* at intervals with narrow pockets l0 extending longitudinally of the cylinder and with larger pockets 11 located between the pockets `10, the pockets 10 being opposite the bailies 5 on the runway pla-te and the pockets 11 being `opposite the spaces be@ tween saidbaflles, seen in Fig. It The` `Patented Sept. 2,

pockets 10 and l1 are preferably of arcuate shape," with an object in view hereinafter madeplain. i

12 designates a control plate arranged approximately parallel with the runway plate 3, thiscontrol plate being pivotally connected at itsupper portion to the end plates-8 at 12, so thatthe control plate hangs suspended back of the runway plate and "is adapted to partake of a rise and fall motion relative tothe feed cylinder A and the `runway plate ldesignates a curved seed distributing plate pivotally mounted at 14 in the end plates '8, said plate being arranged in contact with the feeding cylinder A to provide` for thees-capeof the seedpast the lower edgeof" the plate when itis discharged from said cylinder asthecylinder rotates in the direction indicated bythe arrows, Figs. II and` III. `This seed distributing plate `is provided at its lower edge with curved portions corresponding incontour and extent approximately `to the contour and extent of the pockets l() in `the feeding cylinder, and also with curved portions 16 correspondand extending longitudinally of the 'feed-` ing cylinder A beneath the baffles 5. The regulating device comprises slotted portions ing approximately in contour and extent to 17 and ears 18, the latter being adapted to be secured by screws 19 or other suitable means of fastening (seeFig. III) tothe runway vplate 3 at the spaces between the baffles 5 on said runway plate. Theslotted f portions 17 of the regulating device lB are so located as to be in the paths of rotation of the narrow pockets 10 in the feeding cylinder .A,f so that small Aseeds descending through the runwayl leading from the seed hopper 1 may pass through said slotted por-4 y. sowing'- large seeds thesmall seed regulating devices-B 4is omitted from the machine, and theseed feeding and distributing members are used as illustrated in Figs. I and II.Y

Then, in the seeding operation the large seeds descend from the said hopper and pass i between the runwayy plate 3 and the control plate 12, moving through the spaces to the feedingcylinder A, therotation of which results in the larger kpockets k11 in said cyl- 'V inder being brought consecutivelyopposite the spaces between thebalfles 5. Theseed thereforeenters said pockets 11 and excess delivery of seed is retarded by the control p`dlate12. j During therrotation of the feed- I ing cylinder, the fseed is carried inthe pocketsT 11 until-the pockets Vreach the curved portions 16 ofthe seed distributing plate 13, past which the seed is thrown to the l ground, the kcurvature ofsuch portions 16 serving :to scatter the seeds and distributev them more evenly .than would be the case if the portions 16 were straight;l When itis desired.' to usey my machine for sowing small seeds, the small seed regulating device B is g attachedfto the runway plate so that its slotted portions 17' extend along the baiiles.

5, while-they unslottedl portions of saidl device serve to block the passage o f seed to thelarger pockets 11f. Upon rotation of the feeding 'cylinder A. during. operation of the machine, .the small'. seeds descending from,

thev seed hopper pass throughthe slotted portions yofthe .feed regulating device and enterthesmall pockets 10, and are disf charged frompsaid pockets lpastthe curved portions 1 5 theseeddistributing plate 13,

Copies ofpatntmay be obtained for being well scattered on emerging from the pockets.

I claim:

1. In a seeding machine, a seed holder having a discharge runway beneath it, a feed cylinder beneath said runway having large and small pockets therein, said runway having baiiles spaced from each other to permit the descent of larger seeds between them to the larger pockets in said cylinder, and a feed regulating device detachable from said runway throughwhich small seeds are deliveredto the smaller pockets in said cylinder.

y 2. In ai seeding machine, a seed holder, a discharge runway beneath said seed holder having spaced bailles, a feeding cylinder beneathv said runway having large seed-receiving pockets opposite the spaces between said battles and smaller seed-receiving pockets opposite the baiiles, and a slotted feed regulating device detachable from said runway and overlying said feeding cylinder, the slots in said regulating device permitting the delivery of. small seed to the smaller pockets in said cylinder.

8. In a seeding machine, a seed holder having a discharge runway beneath it provided with spaced baffles, a feeding-cylinder beneath said runway having curved pockets therein A opposite the spaces between said bailles adapted to receive larger seeds and curved pockets opposite said baffles adapted to receive smaller seeds, and means detachable from said runway for regulating the delivery of seeds to said smallerpockets.

4.- In a seeding machine, a seed holder having a discharge runway beneath it provided with spaced baflles,a feeding cylinder beneath said runway having curved pockets therein opposite thespaces between said baffles adapted to receive larger seeds and curved pockets opposite said bafies adapted to receive smaller seeds, means detachable from said runway for regulating the delivery of seeds to saidA smaller pockets, and a distributing member opposing said feeding cylinder having curved portions corresponding :to said curved pockets and past which the seeds are discharged during the rotationof said feeding cylinder.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing.

I hereunto affix my signature.

HUGH w. THoMAsson.

ve cents each,` by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

